1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of caps having visors and, more particularly, to a baseball-style cap with a tunnel-shape band to automatically fit the wearer's head while remaining comfortable for a long period of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
A baseball style cap generally includes a crown main body, a visor portion that is secured to the forward edge of the crown and extends outwardly therefrom, a headband attached to the lower part of the inside of the crown, and a size controller attached to an underside of the rear of the cap. The size of the cap is adapted to fit the wearer's head using the size controller when the cap is worn.
Efforts have been made to produce a baseball-style cap that can fit varying head sizes without the need for a separate size controller structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,572 discloses a cap having a crown part which is composed of multiple ply cloth of non-elastic material forming a number of gores, at least some of which are joined together by elastic material. The headband around the lower edge of the crown is also elastic so that the cap fits the wearer's head by stretching of the elastic material in the crown and the headband. It has been found, however, that such a cap exerts pressure against the wearer's head which can become uncomfortable after the cap is worn for an extended period of time.
Accordingly, a need exists for a free-size cap having a headband that can accommodate varying head sizes without undue pressure so as to remain comfortable for the wearer over extended time periods.